Attacked again by Trump, Pope focuses on words of peace
Pope Leo said the world needs to hear his message of peace and coexistence after US President Donald Trump attacked him for the second time on social media this week.
Speaking Wednesday as he flew from Algeria to Cameroon for the second leg of a whirlwind 10-day tour of Africa, the first U.S. pastor called for respect for all people and said his travels so far have demonstrated the importance of maintaining dialogue between different communities.
“Although we have different beliefs, we have different ways of worship, we have different ways of life, we can live together in peace,” the pope said, referring to two days he spent in predominantly Muslim Algeria, where the Catholic Church is a small minority.
“Promoting that kind of image is something the world needs to hear today.”
Trump, who attacked Leo as “terrible” on the eve of the pope’s visit, doubled down on that in a social media post late Tuesday, despite widespread backlash from U.S. Christians across the political spectrum.
Leo, who celebrated his first anniversary as leader of the 1.4 billion-member Church in May, has kept a relatively low profile in his first 10 months as pope but has become an outspoken critic of the US-Israeli war with Iran in recent weeks.
The pope told Reuters on Monday that he planned to continue criticizing the war regardless of Trump’s comments. US Vice President J.D. Vance also said Tuesday that it was important for the Pope to “be careful when talking about issues of theology” when discussing the conflicts.
The pope did not specifically address his comments about Wednesday’s flight.
He cited the writings of St. Augustine of Hippo as one of his spiritual influences. He said the saint, who died in 430, had a vision to “seek unity among all peoples and respect for all peoples, despite differences.”
He landed in Cameroon’s capital, Yaounde, on Wednesday afternoon, where he was scheduled to meet President Paul Biya, 93, the world’s oldest monarch, and address national leaders.
Leo is expected to call for an end to the simmering conflict in the country’s English-speaking parts and travel to the largest English-speaking city on Thursday.
The pope will observe a three-day “safe travel passage” during his visit to allow civilians and visitors to move freely, a separatist alliance said on Monday.
Leo, 70, relatively young for a pope and in good health, is taking part in one of the most complex tours for a pontiff in decades.
It will travel approximately 18,000 km with 18 flights to 11 cities and towns and will also visit Angola and Equatorial Guinea.
The biggest event of Leo’s tour will likely take place in Cameroon on Friday; The Vatican announced that approximately 600,000 people were expected for the mass in the coastal city of Douala.
